Instep or Outstep?

The Answer

Soccer is known as the world game and millions of children and adults play this prestigious game all around the world (Kellis & Katsis, 2007). The major skill in soccer is passing (kicking), as this skill helps set up play and majority of goals are scored by players passing (kicking) the ball into the back of the net (Katsis & Kellis, 2010). The two main types of passes in soccer is the instep pass and the outstep pass (Katsis & Kellis, 2010).

According to various authors and studies both the instep and outstep pass use similar movements and kinematic patterns when executing either pass (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Barfield 1998; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). To perform these passes the movements and kinematic patterns can be broken down into eight stages, they are:

The approachMost soccer players, elite and beginners should use a run up that builds up speed when they are approaching the ball to kick it (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). As a run up that builds speed will allow the player to have more momentum when they go to kick the ball and as a result their kick is likely to be more powerful (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). It is advised that all soccer players should approach the ball from a diagonal angle as this diagonal approach will produce greater kicking velocity and this will give the ball more speed and power (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome,& Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). Authors Isokawa and Lees recommend that players should approach the ball from a 45-degree angle as studies have shown that players make better contact with the ball, they generate higher velocity(speed) and their accuracy is better (Isokawa, & Lees, 1988; Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). A common mistake made especially from beginners learning to play soccer is that when they approach the ball to kick, they approach using a straight run up (directly behind the ball) and studies show that this will cause the leg to produce less swing-limb velocity and in turn the power and speed of the kick will not be very high (Isokawa, & Lees, 1988; Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). Also players are more likely to produce an accurate pass when they have a steady pace run up, as studies have shown that players are more likely to be inaccurate with a fast pace run up (Kellis, & Katsis, 2007). Support legWhen passing the ball (either instep or outstep), the direction and positioning of the support leg (non-kicking leg) plays a key role in the execution and accuracy of the pass (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). To execute a powerful and accurate pass it is recommended that the support leg should be about 5 to 10 centremetres to the side of the ball, as this will avoid your kicking leg colliding with your supporting leg (Barfield, 1998; Hay; 1996). Also it is recommended that the support leg should be positioned approximately ninety degrees to the centre of the soccer ball, as this will give the player a greater chance of kicking the ball at the point that is most suitable for the kick, for example with the outside pass the player wants to hit the ball on the inside half of the ball (Barfield, 1998). When the kicking leg makes contact with the ball the support leg is flexed at about 26 degrees at foot contact and stays flexed during the entire kick and even gets up to 42 degrees flexed after the kicking leg has made contact with the ball (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). The support knee flexes for this long so it can take in the impact of landing following the kick and it helps in slowing forward movement (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998).TrunkWhen performing these passes player’s trunks are relatively upright when approaching the ball but when the player goes to execute either pass their trunk will have a backward lean of about 10-15 degrees on their non-kicking side as this will help them with balance when executing the kick (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998).PelvisLooking at the player’s pelvis when doing these kicks, studies show that the tilt and obliquity of the pelvis is crucial in executing powerful kicks (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). Looking at the tilt, when the player goes to kick the ball the pelvis is positioned about 17-25 degrees forward. After the player makes contact with the ball the pelvis tilts backwards about 10-20 degrees (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome,& Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). This is to help the player with balance following the execution of the pass (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome,& Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). Looking at the obliquity of the player’s pelvis, when performing the motion of the kick the pelvis obliquity lowers 2-3 degrees but once the kicking leg makes contact with the ball the obliquity of the pelvis is raised by 10-20 degrees (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). By the players pelviss being elevated during the kick and in combination with the trunk slightly leaning backwards this allows the kicking leg to have higher knee extension which will allow more speed and power to the ball at contact (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees,& Nolan, 1998). Swing Limb LoadingOnce the player has approached the ball and planted their supporting leg, the kicking leg begins to swing back (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). In preparation for making contact with the ball the players kicking leg needs to be extended and flexing of the knee must be happening (at this stage) (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). It is crucial for the kicker at this point to keep their eyes on the ball and head over the ball as this assists them with balance (Lees, Asai, Anderson,Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998; Barfield, 1998). When performing either pass the player needs to have their opposite arm to the kicking leg elevated (right foot kick, left arm is elevated) and pointed in the direction the player wants to kick the ball as this assists with balance following and during the execution of the pass (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998; Blazevich, 2010). As the kicking leg is swung back (the leg and knee is extended and flexed), elastic energy is beginning to get stored because the kicking leg is swinging and extending and this will allow the player to have more transfer of force on to the ball through the final stages of the pass (Barfield, 1998; Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees,& Nolan, 1998). As this swing phase is finishing and the player’s hip is almost at full extension and the knee completely flexed, the hip flexors and knee extensors are reducing eccentrically (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998; Barfield, 1998).

Hip flexors and Knee extensionsAt this stage of the kick the players hip begins to flex and the player’s thigh is moved forward and descends with natural forward movement and rotation of the lower leg (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). While this is happening the (thigh movements) the player’s leg starts to move faster because of the shared momentum and elastic energy released from the knee extensors (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998) . To allow the kicking leg to swing forwards towards the ball the knee extensors strongly contracts (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). As the player is kicking, there knee (of their kicking leg) goes over the ball and is strongly extended as the leg is powerfully plantar flexed (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998).

Foot contactStudies have identified that when a player makes contact with the ball they make contact with it for about 10 milliseconds (Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). When the player makes contact with the ball the hip and knee of their kicking leg begins to flex and their leg and foot begin to move forward and up in preparation for the follow through (Barfield, 1998). When the ball is kicked about 15% of the kinetic energy from the kicking leg is put on to the ball (Gainor, Pitrowski, & Puhl, 1978). The hamstring muscle group tries to slow down the kicking leg as the kick is being performed and the remaining 85% of the eccentric activity is dispersed through the hamstring muscle group (Gainor, Pitrowski, & Puhl, 1978).

Follow throughIt is important for players during their follow through to transfer their weight forward, use a correct kicking motion and ensure the leg completely follows through following the kick (Barfield, 1998). Following the foot contact players need to continue the motion of the kick, thus, players kicking legs should follow through right up close to the height of the pelvis (Barfield, 1998). The players weight should be moving forward and their supporting leg and arm is supporting and balancing the body as this is all happening (Barfield, 1998). Research shows that soccer players need to perform correct follow through as it will help them to keep the foot in contact with the ball for longer and to reduce the risk of injury (Barfield, 1998). Research shows that if a player has longer contact time with the ball as they are kicking it they will increase the transfer of momentum on the ball and as a result the power and speed of the ball will increase (Barfield, 1998). As the player is performing either pass the body tries to stop injury from occurring and this is through the body slowly dispersing the kinetic and elastic energy generated by the actions performed to complete this kick after contact (Hay, 1996).

Instep Soccer pass Diagram

1. Player is approaching the ball and raising their arm that is on their non kicking side.7. Player begins to plant supporting leg, supporting leg is bent, head is over ball, kicking leg is swung back and extended ready to kick.13. Player plants supporting leg next to ball, players pelvis is tilted forward, trunk is relatively upright although its leant back slightly, kicking leg has knee entensors contracting and ready to come through to kick the ball.18. Player makes contact with the ball, non kicking arm still raised for balance, support leg is bent.22. Player begins to follow through, starts to transfer weight across, kicking leg is extending and slowly rising.27. Player has completely followed through, kicking leg is at the height of the pelvis, weight has transferred forward. (Luhtanen, 1984)

Outstep soccer pass diagram

Stage 1:Player is approaching the ball, plants supporting leg, supporting leg is bent, head is over ball, kicking leg is swung back and extended ready to kick, pelvis is raised, trunk is relatively upright its leant back slightly, kicking leg has knee entensors contracting.Stage 2: Player makes contact with the ball, non kicking arm raised for balance, support leg is bending.Stage 3: Player begins to follow through, starts to transfer weight across, kicking leg is extending and slowly rising, using non-kicking arm and leg for support.(Williams, 2011)StudiesAuthors Athanasios Katsis and Eleftherios Kellis conducted a study to identify whether the instep or outstep pass was more powerful (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010). Ten skilled soccer players who had played soccer for at least five years, trained for a minimum of two times per week, played a game every week and had not been injured within the last six months took part in this study (Katsis,& Kellis, 2010). To begin the study the players had to do a ten minute submaximal running warm up and stretches. A FIFA approved soccer ball was used and the players used their soccer boots to kick the ball (Katsis,& Kellis, 2010). Once the players had completed their warm up they were instructed to grab a ball and stand 7 metres from the centre of the goal (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010). Off a two step fourty five degree angle run up the players were required to kick the ball as powerfully as they could toward the soccer goals (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010). They were required to do 10 kicks in total, 5 using the inside of their foot and five using the outside of their foot (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010). Results from the study showed that the kick with the higher velocity and power was the instep kick (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010). This is supported by research which discusses how when performing an instep pass, the contact area of the foot is greater when executing an instep pass as the contact area for a outstep pass is not as great (Wang, 2006). As a result players have greater chance of making better connection with the ball which in turn will increase power, velocity and accuracy of the pass (Wang, 2006). The study was unable to identify which kick was more accurate although literature within the journal article identified the instep pass as being a more accurate pass (Nunome, Asai, Ikegami, & Sakurai, 2002).

Another study was also conducted to try and determine a similar factor although within this study they had already identified the instep pass as being more powerful but they wanted to determine what pass was more accurate and factors that contribute to the accuracy of a pass (Katsis et al., 2013). To conduct this study twenty one experienced soccer players participated. These twenty one soccer players were from two different division teams (Katsis et al., 2013). These participants had been playing soccer for at least 8 years and were training three times a week and playing a game every week (Katsis et al., 2013). To begin the study a 15 minute jogging/running warm up was conducted and the players then practiced kicking the soccer ball around using any kicking techniques to practice and to familiarise themselves (Katsis et al., 2013). Then the players grabbed a standard fifa approved ball and stood at a distance of eleven metres from the centre of the goals (Katsis et al., 2013). There were two targets positioned in the centre of the goals that the players were required to hit (Katsis et al., 2013). The players had twenty kicks, ten to try and hit the top target and ten to try and hit the bottom target. The players were instructed to use whatever passing technique they liked such as intep pass, outstep pass, toe kick etc.(Katsis et al., 2013). The players were required to have a two step run up and they could use whatever angle they liked in approaching the ball (Katsis et al., 2013). A kick was deemed to be accurate if the players hit the target or got it relatively close to the target (Katsis et al. 2013). Results fromthis study continued to support the previous study with the instep foot pass being more accurate as it was the pass that was hit by the targets the most times (Katsis et al., 2013). Their were a variety of factors that were identified as affecting the accuracy of any pass that was executed such as the players approach and kicking motion sequence (Katsis et al., 2013). A factor that was common occurance amongst the players when they performed an inaccuracte kick was the positioning of the players support leg (Katsis et al., 2013). Players support leg should be positioned approximately 5-10 centremetres to the side of the ball and within the study the players support legs were either getting to close to the ball or to far away from the ball.(Katsis et al., 2013; Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998).

Thus, these studies have identified that the pass that best optimises power and accuracy is the instep pass (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010; Katsis et al., 2013). From their research Katsis and Kellis (2010) identified the purpose of the instep and outstep passes and when they should be used in a match. The instep passes should be used when high speed and power is needed and when trying to perform an accurate pass (Katsis,& Kellis, 2010). Outstep passes should be used when players need to get a lot of spin on the ball to accommodate it with speed such as certain free kick situations or if players are unable to execute an instep pass with their opposite kicking leg (Katsis, & Kellis, 2010).

How else Could this information be used?

The information above discussing the biomechanics behind executing an instep and outstep pass and understanding which pass best optimises speed and accuracy can also relate to executing a drop punt in AFL football (Australian Football League). Similar to the soccer passes in AFL football executing a drop punt requires similar movements and kinematic patterns. When executing a drop punt in football players require a a few step run up so they can gain speed and momentum for when they execute the kick to increase their power of the kick (Millar, 2004). Although similar to the soccer passes players with a high speed run up are less accurate then players who have a steady pace run up (Millar, 2004; Kellis, & Katsis, 2007). Comparible to the soccer kicks a footballer needs to have a stable support leg which is flexed during the execution of the kick, the stable support leg helps with balance during and following the execution of the pass (Millar, 2004). Also when footballers are running with the ball their trunk is relatively upright and when they go to execute the kick their trunk leans back a little on their non-kicking side to assist them with balance (Millar, 2004). At this stage similar to the soccer pass the footballer plants their supporting leg and their kicking leg swings back with the knee flexing and the thigh begins to rotate forward (Millar, 2004). At this stage the player is starting to think about dropping the ball and their opposite arm to the kicking leg gets taken off the ball and slowly rises (similar to the soccer player) and this assists them with balance during and following the execution of the kick (Millar, 2004; Blazevich, 2010). Now the player begins the execution of the kick and the thigh of their kicking leg starts to rotate forward towards the ball (Millar, 2004). As this is happening the knee is still flexed and the forward swing starts to occur (Millar, 2004). While this is happening the players leg powerfully plantar flexed and extension of the knee and foot is occuring (Millar, 2004). The player makes contact with the ball for about 10-20 milliseconds and the support leg is bent and arm raised similar to the soccer passes (Millar, 2004; Lees, Asai, Anderson, Nunome, & Sterzing, 2010; Lees, & Nolan, 1998). The swing is finished when the kicker has made contact with the ball and the follow through begins (Millar, 2004). Similar to the soccer passes it is important for footballers to have a long contact time with the ball as it will maximize the transfer of momentum on to the ball and as a result the power and speed of the ball will increase (Millar, 2004; Barfield 1998). Similar to the soccer passes following contact with the ball the kickers hip and knee of their kicking leg begins to flex and their leg and foot begin to move forward and up in preparation for the follow through (Millar, 2004). Similar to the soccer players the footballers need to transfer their weight forward and ensure that their kicking leg completley follows through to avoid injury (Millar, 2004; Barfield 1998; Hay; 1996). Thus, a lot of information used to execute an instep and outstep pass and soccer is also relevant information for attempting to execute a drop punt in AFL football.

AFL Drop Punt Diagram

Stage 1. Player is running with ball, takes non kicking hand off the ball and raises it in the air for support. Stage 2, 3 and 4: Player begins to plant supporting leg, supporting leg is bent, ball is dropped, kicking leg is swung back and knee is extended and contracting ready for the kicking leg to come through and make contact with the ball. Players pelvis is tiltered forward, trunk is relatively upright although on the non-kicking side its leant back slightly, kicking leg has knee entensors contracting and ready to come through to kick the ball.Stage 5: Player makes contact with the ball, non kicking arm still raised for balance, support leg bending.Stage 6: Player begins to follow through, starts to transfer weight across, kicking leg is extending and slowly rising.(Scott, 2011)